But with Orthodoxy, I suppose that whenever things seem "created" by the Church, that is acceptable because the Church is a divine/human organism.

Doubting that divine aspect is a key part that causes people to lose faith in 'organised religions' and venture at it on their own.

Logged

As a result of a thousand million years of evolution, the universe is becoming conscious of itself, able to understand something of its past history and its possible future.-- Sir Julian Sorell Huxley FRS

Doubting that divine aspect is a key part that causes people to lose faith in 'organised religions' and venture at it on their own.

Well, I suppose more often than not I would not doubt the reality of the "divinity" of the organism, but rather the exclusivity of its parameters as defined by official Church teaching. I honestly have no doubt of God's existence at this point, nor the "supernatural" or "divine", if I'm supposed to juxtapose that against the material, which I don't.

Anyway, when doubts creep in for me, it's not if there is God, but rather which God. Many times the definitions seem artificially constructed.

But I do have faith, and in all honesty I really do believe in Jesus Christ as the source of my existence. He is everything to me.

Doubting that divine aspect is a key part that causes people to lose faith in 'organised religions' and venture at it on their own.

I honestly have no doubt of God's existence at this point, nor the "supernatural" or "divine", if I'm supposed to juxtapose that against the material, which I don't.

Anyway, when doubts creep in for me, it's not if there is God, but rather which God. Many times the definitions seem artificially constructed.

That is, more or less, along the lines of what I meant. Someone might be a theist or a deist, but in terms of X church and its teachings, they view them as mere opinions rather than divine 'Truth'. No more valid than another church or faith or an individual's personal view of spirituality.

Logged

As a result of a thousand million years of evolution, the universe is becoming conscious of itself, able to understand something of its past history and its possible future.-- Sir Julian Sorell Huxley FRS

Just as there are many folks who deny God, there are just as many reasons as to why. Here are a few that come to mind;

1. Sometimes people look to Christianity as a talisman or good luck charm and when it doesn't deliver, they lose heart and leave.

2. Sometimes the company we keep can slowly chip away at our faith. Peer pressure, via our friends and colleagues, really do have an influence over us.

3. I've come to suspect that there's a correlation between a person's childhood and their weltanschauung. As one example, a person who grew up with parents who professed a loving God, but who were ill-tempered and quick to administer punishment, might grow up rebelling Christianity, when in fact, they're actually (and subconsciously) rebelling against their harsh upbringing. To an extent, this was my particular case when I left Christianity years ago. Once I discovered the true reason for my rebellion, I was able to work through a lot of problems. I still have some things to work through (I think my temper probably comes to mind)...

4. Pride and other illnesses of the heart.

5. Perhaps the most important and overarching reason? Satan himself. Let us pray to never forget that he roars like a lion, roaming the earth looking for souls to devour (1 Peter 5:8 ). Brothers and sisters, truly, though he cannot read our minds (thank God!), he knows our weaknesses and uses them to break us.

« Last Edit: March 24, 2010, 10:34:01 PM by GabrieltheCelt »

Logged

"The Scots-Irish; Brewed in Scotland, bottled in Ireland, uncorked in America." ~Scots-Irish saying

Doubting that divine aspect is a key part that causes people to lose faith in 'organised religions' and venture at it on their own.

Well, I suppose more often than not I would not doubt the reality of the "divinity" of the organism, but rather the exclusivity of its parameters as defined by official Church teaching. I honestly have no doubt of God's existence at this point, nor the "supernatural" or "divine", if I'm supposed to juxtapose that against the material, which I don't.

Anyway, when doubts creep in for me, it's not if there is God, but rather which God. Many times the definitions seem artificially constructed.

But I do have faith, and in all honesty I really do believe in Jesus Christ as the source of my existence. He is everything to me.

I know what you mean, I don't doubt the existence of God, only which God.so far I'm looking in the camp of my ancient ancestors religio Romana (fake gods created by heaven's and earth's copulation), hinduism, and orthodoxy, (and maybe just becoming a jew).one thing that may be true , we might not even know about the true religion, we're just clinging to the one the closest to the true God.

I also doubt organized religions (beliefs) like atheism, agnosticism, and deism. to agnostics:if God were real he'd reveal himself right?to Atheists: your world view is a religion, and there's a lot of censored evidence against evolution in the universities.

so far the only thing I doubt about the Bible now is, the time of Judges, which makes me think that the Jews made up Judaism to justify their conquest of Israel

so far I'm looking in the camp of my ancient ancestors religio Romana (fake gods created by heaven's and earth's copulation), hinduism, and orthodoxy, (and maybe just becoming a jew).one thing that may be true , we might not even know about the true religion, we're just clinging to the one the closest to the true God.

Funny you should mention the Religio Romana, I have a good friend who was very much into the whole Nova Roma movement. She is mostly focused on the religious beliefs and practices of ancient Rome, and is quite dedicated to it now. Some of the events they used to host were a blast to attend, whether re-enactments of battles or daily life, or information on religious practices. Nova Roma has become fairly inactive around these parts, but a number of the ex-members still get together every now and then for religious feasts/celebrations.

Logged

As a result of a thousand million years of evolution, the universe is becoming conscious of itself, able to understand something of its past history and its possible future.-- Sir Julian Sorell Huxley FRS

From chapter 3: TRUE HISTORY OF A EUGENIST (after talking about capitalism, industrialism and what it has done to both the rich and poor in England)Quote:

Quote

"I repeat that up to a point the profiteer was innocent because he was ignorant; he had been lured on by easy and accommodating events. He was innocent as the new Thane of Glamis was innocent, as the new Thane of Cawdor was innocent; but the King --- the modern manufacturer, like Macbeth, decided to march on, under the mute menace of the heavens. He knew that the spoil of the poor was in his houses; but he could not, after careful calculation, think of any way in which they could get it out of his houses without being arrested for housebreaking. He faced the future with a face flinty with pride and impenitence. This period can be dated practically by the period when the old and genuine Protestant religion of England began to fail; and the average business man began to be agnostic, not so much because he did not know where he was, as because he wanted to forget. Many of the rich took to scepticism exactly as the poor took to drink; because it was a way out. But in any case, the man who had made a mistake not only refused to unmake it, but decided to go on making it. But in this he made yet another most amusing mistake, which was the beginning of all Eugenics."

ICXC NIKA

Logged

"loving one's enemies does not mean loving wickedness, ungodliness, adultery, or theft. Rather, it means loving the theif, the ungodly, and the adulterer." Clement of Alexandria 195 A.D.

Just as there are many folks who deny God, there are just as many reasons as to why. Here are a few that come to mind;

1. Sometimes people look to Christianity as a talisman or good luck charm and when it doesn't deliver, they lose heart and leave.

2. Sometimes the company we keep can slowly chip away at our faith. Peer pressure, via our friends and colleagues, really do have an influence over us.

3. I've come to suspect that there's a correlation between a person's childhood and their weltanschauung. As one example, a person who grew up with parents who professed a loving God, but who were ill-tempered and quick to administer punishment, might grow up rebelling Christianity, when in fact, they're actually (and subconsciously) rebelling against their harsh upbringing. To an extent, this was my particular case when I left Christianity years ago. Once I discovered the true reason for my rebellion, I was able to work through a lot of problems. I still have some things to work through (I think my temper probably comes to mind)...

4. Pride and other illnesses of the heart.

5. Perhaps the most important and overarching reason? Satan himself. Let us pray to never forget that he roars like a lion, roaming the earth looking for souls to devour (1 Peter 5:8 ). Brothers and sisters, truly, though he cannot read our minds (thank God!), he knows our weaknesses and uses them to break us.

I agree!

ICXC NIKA

Logged

"loving one's enemies does not mean loving wickedness, ungodliness, adultery, or theft. Rather, it means loving the theif, the ungodly, and the adulterer." Clement of Alexandria 195 A.D.

Just as there are many folks who deny God, there are just as many reasons as to why. Here are a few that come to mind;

1. Sometimes people look to Christianity as a talisman or good luck charm and when it doesn't deliver, they lose heart and leave.

2. Sometimes the company we keep can slowly chip away at our faith. Peer pressure, via our friends and colleagues, really do have an influence over us.

3. I've come to suspect that there's a correlation between a person's childhood and their weltanschauung. As one example, a person who grew up with parents who professed a loving God, but who were ill-tempered and quick to administer punishment, might grow up rebelling Christianity, when in fact, they're actually (and subconsciously) rebelling against their harsh upbringing. To an extent, this was my particular case when I left Christianity years ago. Once I discovered the true reason for my rebellion, I was able to work through a lot of problems. I still have some things to work through (I think my temper probably comes to mind)...

4. Pride and other illnesses of the heart.

5. Perhaps the most important and overarching reason? Satan himself. Let us pray to never forget that he roars like a lion, roaming the earth looking for souls to devour (1 Peter 5:8 ). Brothers and sisters, truly, though he cannot read our minds (thank God!), he knows our weaknesses and uses them to break us.

I agree!

ICXC NIKA

Me too. Good answers Gabriel.

"Lord have mercy on us."

Selam

« Last Edit: March 25, 2010, 12:47:48 AM by Gebre Menfes Kidus »

Logged

""Love is a dangerous thing. It will crush you if you trust it. But without it you can never be whole. Love crucifies, but love saves. We will either be saved together with love, or damned alone without it." Selam, +GMK+

I know friends that leave the church or simply do not choose a faith because they are afraid that A-They will be wrong or B- They are afraid of messing up and going to hell.They don't want anyone teasing them or any rules to follow.

Logged

Psalms 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

While I think it's obvious there are many reasons people lose faith and I agree that all the ones mentioned are probably quite common, in my own thinking and experience I'd say a major one is a desire to get out from under the "yoke" of God. The idea that there is Someone or something out there to whom we're accountable is not appealing to many. And so they reason their way out of faith- that way they can do things their way, be their own boss without fear of punishment.

Some religious people say that they can't stand the idea of all of life being meaningless- and therefore they could never be atheists. But from another perspective, if our actions have no lasting significance it means our mistakes aren't that big of a deal either. This sentiment is summarized nicely I think in a quote an atheist friend of mine has on Facebook, "No religion has brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of atheism." I think this is a motivating factor for many, whether they realize it or not. This desire to be out from under the "yoke" of religion biases them to only look at a certain amount and type of argument and evidence, quickly dismiss religion and God on those grounds, and then be glad to be rid of the whole thing.

Of course though, people have biases compelling them to believe in God as well.

As for your own religious journey, I'd say you should look long and hard at Jesus Christ. If He is who the Church has taught that He is, then Christianity is really your only option. And the evidence for the historicity of Jesus and his life and ministry is quite overwhelming especially compared to some other historical figures- religious or otherwise. There are lots of readable books in discussion/debate format between conservative Christian (primarily protestant) scholars and liberal scholars. These can give you a general feel for the historical debate around the life and person of Christ. Always remember to look at the underlying presuppositions behind those arguments.

I think it was Bertrand Russell who said, "not enough evidence, God, not enough evidence".

I think it was the Fashioner and Sustainer of the Cosmos who said, "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Come home, Justin. The time is short.

"And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"

I am going to share a sermon by Father Thomas Moore (great name for a covert priest, no?). It is a bit long but may be germane to this topic. (BTW, contrary to Father Thomas I find church attendance to be way above normal).

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I have been reflecting lately why so many members of Holy Apostles only come to Church on Sundays, and then often late. It is easy for me to get resentful and feel rejected or that what is so important to me is unimportant to you. It feels like putting a lot of time and energy into giving a gift to someone and seeing the disappointment on their face because it is not the gift they want. My reaction is a good example of our continuing self-centeredness from infancy, and the perception that the world revolves around me. I ask for your forgiveness for my personalizing this as if I was the reason you might come to Church.

Obviously the only reason to come to Church is to know God, and therefore the truth about ourselves in relation to Him and each other. This is salvation: “Love God, and your neighbor as yourself”. This gives me more insight and hopefully compassion on why we may consciously or unconsciously stay away from the services of the Church. It rattles our cage. There is something about all real relationships that reveal the world does not revolve around us and we need to make room for the other. In my experience each of the services of the Orthodox Church confronts the comfort of our little worlds, and demands us to break out of them and be transformed.

However, we spend a lot of time convincing ourselves and others that our way of perceiving the world is the correct one, and if everyone else would just realize it and would just listen to us, everything would be ok. Thus we spend so much energy attempting to control our world and everyone else that comes into our orbit, that we resent any efforts that might make us realize how systemically wrong we are, and that we are the ones who need to change at a very fundamental level. Yet in that very act we know deep in our hearts that it leaves us utterly alone, isolated and miserable. Thus we chose to be lonely rather than vulnerable. We chose “the certainty of misery over the misery of uncertainty”. We chose control over love. Since God is love, we have a kind of push/pull relationship with Him and His Body, the Church. We know we need love so we are willing to “try” being loving up to a certain point which each of us decides is our comfort zone. Real spiritual life, as any real relationship, continually confronts and pushes us out of our comfort zone and into the reality of relationship with the other who is always uncontrollable and a deep mystery-just as we are to ourselves.

Thus, I am more and more convinced that those who come tochurch rarely or late are really conflicted about their relationshipwith God. Initially we come to strike a deal in which we hope if we come and do something “He wants” He will return the favor by giving us what we want. It is obvious this is no relationship at all but rather another merchandise exchange like those which consume so much of our energy in relation to the world and each other.

However the more we enter into the reality of God, the more we realize the relationship is going to change us and although we know our lives are not working, we don’t really want to change, we want everyone else to. Thus the initial stages of attraction to the spiritual life disappear, and we are faced with a long term submission to a process of being healed ourselves. While we may give lip service to this, it really goes against our inner fallen passions and our adversary will give us all the excuses we need to avoid this confrontation with our own true reality. I very strongly urge you to push past this demonic temptation to comfort and sleep which is really the desire for death.

I am aware of the difficulty of keeping up this struggle to be truly alive. It is tiring, intense, and often painful. Thus the Church in it’s wisdom gives us alternating cyclical periods of intense personal confrontation and ecstatic joy. I want to encourage you to enter into the deepening seasons, or else we will not experience the freedom of love in the celebratory ones. One cannot eat candy all the time and live. Use this Lenten period to break out of your cage of self deception and desire to control others. Let us pray truly that God would “take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk” by having the courage to come to the services in which we are confronted with how each of these passions control so much ofour daily lives and keep us from the joy of His resurrection and our freedom. It takes planning, strategy, and commitment to defeat the adversary in ourselves. We will not enter His victory if we lackadaisically only come when we feel like it. It is not too late though.

Use this Lenten period to face yourself and to realize how muchwe need our Savior to roll away the stone which keeps us dead in our prisons of self absorption. Your servant in Christ, Fr. Thomas"

I think it was the Fashioner and Sustainer of the Cosmos who said, "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Come home, Justin. The time is short.

I'm sure such words would truly strike an agnostic with worry.

Logged

As a result of a thousand million years of evolution, the universe is becoming conscious of itself, able to understand something of its past history and its possible future.-- Sir Julian Sorell Huxley FRS

Having been an agnostic, and still sometimes flirt with that, the answer I'd give is maybe, maybe not.

Or maybe He did reveal Himself, but we're just too dumb to figure out or discover which faith He revealed Himself within? Or maybe He doesn't need to reveal Himself at all, maybe the Revelation is in the human heart, in Nature, or all of these things or none of these things. One form of Agnosticism doesn't really deny that God "might" have revealed himself, only that as fallible human beings we likely cannot figure out which religion is correct.

Quote

to Atheists: your world view is a religion, and there's a lot of censored evidence against evolution in the universities.

I prefer the term "non-Theism" to atheism. I think it is a more accurate term because "Atheism" carries a lot meaning culturally that is not always intended. I tend to differentiate between non-theists and atheists because generally speaking atheists tend to have more certitude that they KNOW there is NOT a God, (which is much closer to a religious view in a way) while non-theists simply lack a belief in God. The atheist/nontheist might argue that most people are in fact non-theists, when it comes to Zeus, Ares, Apollo...a non-theist simply lacks belief in any including YHWH.

As far as "censored evidence" in science and evolution...that's simply not true. I guess in one sense indeed some things are "censored" but simply because in science some things are just plain WRONG and scientists don't want to teach things that are wrong. It's demonstrably false to say that the world is flat...yet there are people who still believe it is flat. In fact these flat earthers give "evidence" and cry that the "universities won't teach this, they are censoring us"...well yeah, because it's just plain wrong. It's been falsified. And that's that. If one wants to call that censoring then so be it. But once you know how science has come to the conclusions of evolution, it's practically impossible to believe it's not true. However considering some Church fathers also thought taking Genesis literally was absurd, I find this doesn't conflict with my Christian faith at all.

Anyhow, as for the bigger question being asked here....I think most reasonable people (not those on the extreme fringe) who doubt and even become non-theists is because of the multiplicity of religions around the world. And how difficult it is to determine which religion is true. Like you, I agree if there is a God He probably would reveal Himself in some way. The problem is there all dozens of major religions based on Revelation, and no real unbiased method for determining which is true. Are they all true? Of course that contradicts most revealed faiths) Are none true? Maybe God exists and just hasn't revealed Himself yet? I actually find the Jewish explanations quite convincing that God has allowed all these different faiths to teach people in ways that they could handle. Or as they might say of Christianity/Islam...those religions brought Monotheism to most of the world far better and faster than Judaism could ever have done. But I think this is a reason many people become agnostic/atheist because it does seem kind of hopeless that we could ever know which religion is true, because in the end they all require some sort of "faith" to accept.

But I still believe in God, and still cannot find a better revelation of the way God intends the world to be outside of Jesus Christ. So I still have faith. Like Alveus alluded to, I personally doubt the whole "Church" thing and "organized religion" a LOT...but I still come back to Jesus even in my times of most serious doubt.

Lastly I think a large percentage of people become atheist due to the problem of suffering in the world. And I don't think that should be overlooked as a major reason people lose faith all together.

Having been an agnostic, and still sometimes flirt with that, the answer I'd give is maybe, maybe not.

Or maybe He did reveal Himself, but we're just too dumb to figure out or discover which faith He revealed Himself within? Or maybe He doesn't need to reveal Himself at all, maybe the Revelation is in the human heart, in Nature, or all of these things or none of these things. One form of Agnosticism doesn't really deny that God "might" have revealed himself, only that as fallible human beings we likely cannot figure out which religion is correct.

I find it is all too common that people just don't understand the many groupings within Agnosticism. As you said, there are those who believe that a finite mind could never understand a divine revelation (never commenting on if said revelation has or will occur), so it merely isn't worth worrying about. There are those you just see no proof either way and choose to remain sceptical. Then there are those who look at the world around them, fail to see a god or gods taking care of its creation, so view debates about an absentee supernatural power to be rather pointless. Some choose to live their lives assuming their is a god but not believing it to be certain, using spiritual or religious instruction as a moral framework. Then you have those who are unsure of the existence of a god, and choose to live under the assumption that their likely isn't one (usually finding their way to secular humanism, but not always).

In addition to all that, that are those who might believe there is 'something more' than just what we see, might even go as far as ending up being pandeists or believing that souls dwell within all things, but remain agnostic to the thought of any sort of god that we see in the major world faiths.

Logged

As a result of a thousand million years of evolution, the universe is becoming conscious of itself, able to understand something of its past history and its possible future.-- Sir Julian Sorell Huxley FRS

To me, a much more important question is, why so many people from my own heritage or background (urban intellectual families of the former USSR) never acquire any faith. Virtually all of them look at faith as something stupid, unworthy of a human being to have. 100% of my family (except myself) and 100% of my firends are like that, regardless of where they now live, in Ukraine or here in the US or in Australia or in Western Europe.

To me, a much more important question is, why so many people from my own heritage or background (urban intellectual families of the former USSR) never acquire any faith. Virtually all of them look at faith as something stupid, unworthy of a human being to have. 100% of my family (except myself) and 100% of my firends are like that, regardless of where they now live, in Ukraine or here in the US or in Australia or in Western Europe.

I've found there tends to be 4 camps.1) People look towards religion for comfort/hope, but many within the USSR were taught to look for such feelings elsewhere (public service, work, etc.). They did, and they continue to find relief within that which they can see with their eyes, feel with their hands, etc.2) Some have remained very socialistic in their thinking, and see that such a system could do much more for people (in terms of their daily needs) compared to relying on a deity or a church.3) Then you have the more arrogant types, who view religion as inherently plebeian. As Christians once viewed various pagan groups as barbarous and uncouth, they view modern religions as something primitive and ultimately unnecessary.4) Lastly, you have those who view various branches within Christianity as ultimately anti-intellectual. Some have had bad experiences with Orthodox clergy, others fundamentalist Protestants, etc. I remember one Professor saying he would sooner beseech Thoth over the Christian God, since at least the Egyptians appreciated knowledge and wisdom of the world.

Anyway, that is merely what I have witnessed working with some people (grad students and professors) from Russian, Ukrainian and Polish backgrounds.

Logged

As a result of a thousand million years of evolution, the universe is becoming conscious of itself, able to understand something of its past history and its possible future.-- Sir Julian Sorell Huxley FRS

To me, a much more important question is, why so many people from my own heritage or background (urban intellectual families of the former USSR) never acquire any faith. Virtually all of them look at faith as something stupid, unworthy of a human being to have. 100% of my family (except myself) and 100% of my firends are like that, regardless of where they now live, in Ukraine or here in the US or in Australia or in Western Europe.

I've found there tends to be 4 camps.1) People look towards religion for comfort/hope, but many within the USSR were taught to look for such feelings elsewhere (public service, work, etc.). They did, and they continue to find relief within that which they can see with their eyes, feel with their hands, etc.2) Some have remained very socialistic in their thinking, and see that such a system could do much more for people (in terms of their daily needs) compared to relying on a deity or a church.3) Then you have the more arrogant types, who view religion as inherently plebeian. As Christians once viewed various pagan groups as barbarous and uncouth, they view modern religions as something primitive and ultimately unnecessary.4) Lastly, you have those who view various branches within Christianity as ultimately anti-intellectual. Some have had bad experiences with Orthodox clergy, others fundamentalist Protestants, etc. I remember one Professor saying he would sooner beseech Thoth over the Christian God, since at least the Egyptians appreciated knowledge and wisdom of the world.

Anyway, that is merely what I have witnessed working with some people (grad students and professors) from Russian, Ukrainian and Polish backgrounds.

Thank you, Nebelphade... I am just wondering then, why am I so weird? Strictly speaking, philosophically, "God is" is as much of a foundational axiom as "the objective world beyond "me" exists." Arguments like, "there is no God because no one sees Him/her/them/it" are as naive as they can be. And if one chooses to take, as a foundational axiom, that "God is," then why not Christ, Who is God and man like myself?... "I just don't understand it..." (Francis McDormand in "Fargo")...

Thank you, Nebelphade... I am just wondering then, why am I so weird? Strictly speaking, philosophically, "God is" is as much of a foundational axiom as "the objective world beyond "me" exists." Arguments like, "there is no God because no one sees Him/her/them/it" are as naive as they can be. And if one chooses to take, as a foundational axiom, that "God is," then why not Christ, Who is God and man like myself?... "I just don't understand it..." (Francis McDormand in "Fargo")...

I suppose many will ridicule various axioms based on the theorems built from them. You appear to subscribe to and practice a very open and healthy version of Christianity, but it is a version many rarely or never see. Faith should be something with which helps one to transcend the finite, yet more often than not, it is a limit and a bottleneck. You don't have to look around much to see individuals whose minds or/and hearts have been limited (I'd even go so far as saying crippled) because of their faith. I'm unsure of what brought you back to Christianity, but there must of been a theorem, no matter how small and insignificant that you saw worth building upon. Some will ignore that theorem, some will have never discovered it, some may of viewed it as unnecessary, while others might have reached an equivalent one through different axioms. Ultimately, it lead you to Orthodoxy, even though there are some branches and leaves you wouldn't mind pruning, or maybe a branch worth exploring.

Another problem is that the Church will treat certain theorems as axioms. Individuals will go back to what they see as the true foundational axioms and are able to derive the Church's 'axioms', but there is an entire derivation tree open to them as well. So many branches, why is one more valid than the next? I know many people of a variety of faiths, from Muslim to Christian to Hindu to Sihk to Pagan, etc. Some started with similar axioms, some started with different axioms, some followed similar paths and then branched off, and some had no chance of ever intersecting. I also know many with non-faith, and from those 'naturalistic' axioms, the same things happen. We have a forest with an infinite amount of trees, and an infinite amount of graphs; it is hard for us to see past our branch and hard for others to see our branch within the forest, let alone on a tree where we can be an exponential distance away.

Not sure that helps or even made sense. I have just come to realise that I must be spending too much time with graph and tree theory, since it is seeping into other facets of my life.

« Last Edit: March 25, 2010, 03:30:35 PM by Nebelpfade »

Logged

As a result of a thousand million years of evolution, the universe is becoming conscious of itself, able to understand something of its past history and its possible future.-- Sir Julian Sorell Huxley FRS

Just as there are many folks who deny God, there are just as many reasons as to why. Here are a few that come to mind;

1. Sometimes people look to Christianity as a talisman or good luck charm and when it doesn't deliver, they lose heart and leave.

2. Sometimes the company we keep can slowly chip away at our faith. Peer pressure, via our friends and colleagues, really do have an influence over us.

3. I've come to suspect that there's a correlation between a person's childhood and their weltanschauung. As one example, a person who grew up with parents who professed a loving God, but who were ill-tempered and quick to administer punishment, might grow up rebelling Christianity, when in fact, they're actually (and subconsciously) rebelling against their harsh upbringing. To an extent, this was my particular case when I left Christianity years ago. Once I discovered the true reason for my rebellion, I was able to work through a lot of problems. I still have some things to work through (I think my temper probably comes to mind)...

4. Pride and other illnesses of the heart.

5. Perhaps the most important and overarching reason? Satan himself. Let us pray to never forget that he roars like a lion, roaming the earth looking for souls to devour (1 Peter 5:8 ). Brothers and sisters, truly, though he cannot read our minds (thank God!), he knows our weaknesses and uses them to break us.

Post of the Month nominee!

Logged

"It is remarkable that what we call the world...in what professes to be true...will allow in one man no blemishes, and in another no virtue."--Charles Dickens

I think it was Bertrand Russell who said, "not enough evidence, God, not enough evidence".

Who was he talking to?

Selam

Logged

""Love is a dangerous thing. It will crush you if you trust it. But without it you can never be whole. Love crucifies, but love saves. We will either be saved together with love, or damned alone without it." Selam, +GMK+

I think it was Bertrand Russell who said, "not enough evidence, God, not enough evidence".

Who was he talking to?

Selam

I think the quote is from an interview in which Bertrand Russell was asked something like, "What will you say if, after you die, you find that God does exist and He asks you why you didn't believe in Him?" to which Russell responded, "Not enough evidence, God, not enough evidence."

To me, a much more important question is, why so many people from my own heritage or background (urban intellectual families of the former USSR) never acquire any faith. Virtually all of them look at faith as something stupid, unworthy of a human being to have. 100% of my family (except myself) and 100% of my firends are like that, regardless of where they now live, in Ukraine or here in the US or in Australia or in Western Europe.

What did the school system, and the government of the former USSR teach your generation?

ICXC NIKA

Logged

"loving one's enemies does not mean loving wickedness, ungodliness, adultery, or theft. Rather, it means loving the theif, the ungodly, and the adulterer." Clement of Alexandria 195 A.D.

Christianity is often presented as something either too easy or too difficult. God is presented as either a benevolent Grandfather in the sky who requires nothing from us, or as an eternal tyrant whom we can never hope to please.

I believe in God because I have no other explanation for why my life is so abundant with undeserved blessings. The sins and evils I have committed in my life should have resulted in my death or imprisonment. And yet, I have been given so much that I do not deserve- my family, my health (survivor of 2 heart attacks), and my baptism into the Faith.

One of my best friends in the world has become agnostic. He used to be such a devout Christian, but now he disbelieves. Unlike me, he has led a very good and honest life. He is liked by everyone and is one of the most generous people I know. But he has suffered greatly in so many ways. I can understand why he doubts God. He did all the right things, and yet it seems God only rewarded him with suffering. Why? And yet I did all the wrong things, and God has blessed me with so much.

I don't understand God, but I know that He is real and that my life is in Him. I don't know why I believe while others so much better than me don't. I don't know why I still sin so much even after I have been given so much.

I miss my friend dearly. We still keep in touch, but our realtionship is not the same. I used to rely on him so much for spiritual encouragement, but now we don't have much to talk about. And I know that's so selfish of me. I don't want to preach to him, and I don't want to judge him. In fact, I'm much less concerned about his soul than I am about my own. But I really miss the depth of Christian fellowship we used to have. I wish he could learn about Orthodoxy, but I'm not the one to tell him.

OK, sorry for rambling. My spirit is a bit low tonight. Demons attacked me in my dreams last night, but I chased them away with the Jesus Prayer. And yet instead of being more vigilant in my spiritual fight when I arose for the day, I was much worse. Pray for me please.

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner."

Selam

Logged

""Love is a dangerous thing. It will crush you if you trust it. But without it you can never be whole. Love crucifies, but love saves. We will either be saved together with love, or damned alone without it." Selam, +GMK+

Some people are leaving Catholicism because of the disgusting and abominable scandals and coverups recently exposed.

Right, that and Protestant fundamentalists. However, I would like to offer an alternative view which I've thought about. Most people seem to think in terms of whether God exists, and which god is the right one. I think this is the wrong place to start.

Perhaps we should say that ALL gods are nothing more than the result of a person mistaking external events or internal thoughts for divine beings--the "short circuit between the heart and the brain" that Fr. John Romanides speaks of. Orthodox Christians and Jews do not worship God or gods (theoretically, at least), but rather deny the existence of all gods, worshipping instead the uncreated Logos, the "ego eimi o on," which became incarnate. We can use the word "God" to refer to the Trinity, but that does not mean that the Trinity is actually a god. In fact, saying that God is actually a god is in direct violation of the axiom of apophatic theology.

I apologise if this post sounds a bit jargony. Thoughts?

Also, does this make Christians (Orthodox, at least) a type of atheist?

I know to many, myself included at times, most aspects of the faith seem constructed rather than delivered, if one is intellectually honest with oneself.

But with Orthodoxy, I suppose that whenever things seem "created" by the Church, that is acceptable because the Church is a divine/human organism.

Yeah, I feel that too.. Sometimes, I feel like Christianity's Story is just a bunch of role-playing dramas to give people hope. But that wouldn't be true! If it were why did it claim a life? And why did He who's life was claimed, claim it back? That is the most astounding part of Christianity.

Sometimes, I feel tempted to become agnostic (as I was before) -- it's simply more convenient -- there's so much spiritual and moral pressure in Christianity, especially in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox groups.

I know to many, myself included at times, most aspects of the faith seem constructed rather than delivered, if one is intellectually honest with oneself.

But with Orthodoxy, I suppose that whenever things seem "created" by the Church, that is acceptable because the Church is a divine/human organism.

Yeah, I feel that too.. Sometimes, I feel like Christianity's Story is just a bunch of role-playing dramas to give people hope. But that wouldn't be true! If it were why did it claim a life? And why did He who's life was claimed, claim it back? That is the most astounding part of Christianity.

Sometimes, I feel tempted to become agnostic (as I was before) -- it's simply more convenient -- there's so much spiritual and moral pressure in Christianity, especially in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox groups.

If Jesus weren't real, then why would the Apostles make up a whole new Religion?Someone please honestly try to give me an answer as to why, if Jesus wasn't a real person.Just speculation, I expect the answer «¡because he really was true!».but what would a skeptic say, as to why they created a whole new religion?

Just as there are many folks who deny God, there are just as many reasons as to why. Here are a few that come to mind;

1. Sometimes people look to Christianity as a talisman or good luck charm and when it doesn't deliver, they lose heart and leave.

2. Sometimes the company we keep can slowly chip away at our faith. Peer pressure, via our friends and colleagues, really do have an influence over us.

3. I've come to suspect that there's a correlation between a person's childhood and their weltanschauung. As one example, a person who grew up with parents who professed a loving God, but who were ill-tempered and quick to administer punishment, might grow up rebelling Christianity, when in fact, they're actually (and subconsciously) rebelling against their harsh upbringing. To an extent, this was my particular case when I left Christianity years ago. Once I discovered the true reason for my rebellion, I was able to work through a lot of problems. I still have some things to work through (I think my temper probably comes to mind)...

4. Pride and other illnesses of the heart.

5. Perhaps the most important and overarching reason? Satan himself. Let us pray to never forget that he roars like a lion, roaming the earth looking for souls to devour (1 Peter 5:8 ). Brothers and sisters, truly, though he cannot read our minds (thank God!), he knows our weaknesses and uses them to break us.

I agree!

ICXC NIKA

Me too. Good answers Gabriel.

"Lord have mercy on us."

Selam

Personally I say Kýrie eléison all day and sometimes sing it to myself in Greek because the saying is odd to people if I were to say it in English.

I want someone here to sing Lord have mercy in the supermarket, and then sing it in Greek.and you'll see what I mean. People will think you're crazy if you hum Lord have mercy to yourself in public, but here no one understands what Kýrie Eléison means.

I know to many, myself included at times, most aspects of the faith seem constructed rather than delivered, if one is intellectually honest with oneself.

But with Orthodoxy, I suppose that whenever things seem "created" by the Church, that is acceptable because the Church is a divine/human organism.

Yeah, I feel that too.. Sometimes, I feel like Christianity's Story is just a bunch of role-playing dramas to give people hope. But that wouldn't be true! If it were why did it claim a life? And why did He who's life was claimed, claim it back? That is the most astounding part of Christianity.

Sometimes, I feel tempted to become agnostic (as I was before) -- it's simply more convenient -- there's so much spiritual and moral pressure in Christianity, especially in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox groups.

If Jesus weren't real, then why would the Apostles make up a whole new Religion?Someone please honestly try to give me an answer as to why, if Jesus wasn't a real person.Just speculation, I expect the answer «¡because he really was true!».but what would a skeptic say, as to why they created a whole new religion?

Yeah, why would they? Judging from the fact that they were Jews and Jews were stoned for such insidious things -- if Jesus weren't the True Messiah.

I just said I felt tempted -- I mean, look.. It's like the whole world is trying to erase Jesus' memory from the world.

I know to many, myself included at times, most aspects of the faith seem constructed rather than delivered, if one is intellectually honest with oneself.

But with Orthodoxy, I suppose that whenever things seem "created" by the Church, that is acceptable because the Church is a divine/human organism.

Yeah, I feel that too.. Sometimes, I feel like Christianity's Story is just a bunch of role-playing dramas to give people hope. But that wouldn't be true! If it were why did it claim a life? And why did He who's life was claimed, claim it back? That is the most astounding part of Christianity.

Sometimes, I feel tempted to become agnostic (as I was before) -- it's simply more convenient -- there's so much spiritual and moral pressure in Christianity, especially in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox groups.

If Jesus weren't real, then why would the Apostles make up a whole new Religion?Someone please honestly try to give me an answer as to why, if Jesus wasn't a real person.Just speculation, I expect the answer «¡because he really was true!».but what would a skeptic say, as to why they created a whole new religion?

Yeah, why would they? Judging from the fact that they were Jews and Jews were stoned for such insidious things -- if Jesus weren't the True Messiah.

I just said I felt tempted -- I mean, look.. It's like the whole world is trying to erase Jesus' memory from the world.

There are many reasons given within the New Testament for why people loose faith.The Apostles address this reality in almost every New Testament book, Gospel or Epistle and even the Apocalypse.

Today, words like apostasy or heresy are not politically correct. Today we use words which strike terror into the hearts and minds of modern man with much more fear: fundamentalism, fundamentalist, literalism and literalist are commonly thrown about as words to smite down the religious fanaticism of those who do not conform to modern religious scientism. Being an apostate or heretic can actually be a means to improve your social standing, especially if you can convert loss of faith into an economic benefit without actually abandoning the Church.

Because of the increase of iniquity, the love of many grows cold. I suspect that for most moderns the task of keeping the little faith they possess is an extraneous occupation; who has time for it. Who wants to tell anybody that their loss of faith is a moral choice which begins with what you entertain yourselves; whether that entertainment be purely sensual or intellectually profound. Who dares apply faith without works is dead to the deadening of a soul which was once enlightened? Fundamentalist? Literalist? Fanatics?

Looking for an explanation for loss of faith in the philosophical meanderings of unbelief is like trying to pick up the clean end of a turd.

john

Logged

Courteous is my name,and I have always aimed to live up to it.Grace is also my name,but when things go wrongits Courteous whom I blame;but its Grace who sees me through it.

Why do people leave Christianity, or lose faith? or lose faith in God?

I've not contemplated leaving Christianity, but I definitely dumped two denominations in my journey to Orthodoxy. My reason? Inconsistency. Once human thought enters one's theology, it is prone to inconsistency. If you try to resolve that inconsistency through human reason, then you are at risk of having your belief system become centered around what you WANT to believe is true. Unfortunately, entire faiths have been built on this flawed logic. Disgust with that is how I found Orthodoxy; I'm sure it causes others to flee altogether.

I know to many, myself included at times, most aspects of the faith seem constructed rather than delivered, if one is intellectually honest with oneself.

But with Orthodoxy, I suppose that whenever things seem "created" by the Church, that is acceptable because the Church is a divine/human organism.

Yeah, I feel that too.. Sometimes, I feel like Christianity's Story is just a bunch of role-playing dramas to give people hope. But that wouldn't be true! If it were why did it claim a life? And why did He who's life was claimed, claim it back? That is the most astounding part of Christianity.

Sometimes, I feel tempted to become agnostic (as I was before) -- it's simply more convenient -- there's so much spiritual and moral pressure in Christianity, especially in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox groups.

If Jesus weren't real, then why would the Apostles make up a whole new Religion?Someone please honestly try to give me an answer as to why, if Jesus wasn't a real person.Just speculation, I expect the answer «¡because he really was true!».but what would a skeptic say, as to why they created a whole new religion?

Yeah, why would they? Judging from the fact that they were Jews and Jews were stoned for such insidious things -- if Jesus weren't the True Messiah.

I just said I felt tempted -- I mean, look.. It's like the whole world is trying to erase Jesus' memory from the world.

I can only see two or three possibilities: one they were crazy madmen, or two they actually saw the resurrection.

I know to many, myself included at times, most aspects of the faith seem constructed rather than delivered, if one is intellectually honest with oneself.

But with Orthodoxy, I suppose that whenever things seem "created" by the Church, that is acceptable because the Church is a divine/human organism.

Yeah, I feel that too.. Sometimes, I feel like Christianity's Story is just a bunch of role-playing dramas to give people hope. But that wouldn't be true! If it were why did it claim a life? And why did He who's life was claimed, claim it back? That is the most astounding part of Christianity.

Sometimes, I feel tempted to become agnostic (as I was before) -- it's simply more convenient -- there's so much spiritual and moral pressure in Christianity, especially in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox groups.

If Jesus weren't real, then why would the Apostles make up a whole new Religion?Someone please honestly try to give me an answer as to why, if Jesus wasn't a real person.Just speculation, I expect the answer «¡because he really was true!».but what would a skeptic say, as to why they created a whole new religion?

Yeah, why would they? Judging from the fact that they were Jews and Jews were stoned for such insidious things -- if Jesus weren't the True Messiah.

I just said I felt tempted -- I mean, look.. It's like the whole world is trying to erase Jesus' memory from the world.

I can only see two or three possibilities: one they were crazy madmen, or two they actually saw the resurrection.

All twelve of them were crazy madmen, plus Mark and Paul and Barnabas and Luke and James the Brother of the Lord and a whole slew of other people. And all the bishops who have followed them in a direct line of succession to this day don't mean a thing .